


object permanence

by godaime_obito



Series: Kakaobi event 2019 [7]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Ending, KakaObi Week 2019, M/M, Uchiha Obito Lives, idk what im doing but enjoy, post kaguya
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-08
Updated: 2019-02-08
Packaged: 2019-10-24 06:25:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,222
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17699309
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/godaime_obito/pseuds/godaime_obito
Summary: Kakaobi week day 7: domestic life|solitude“The most important step to becoming a functioning adult is to pretend to be one as dedicatedly as possible,” Obito insists. “At least I’m pretty sure it is?” he adds with much less conviction.





	object permanence

Obito had gotten used to being alone over the last nearly two decades. In a sense, he’d always been alone. Lived alone, walked the streets alone, the only time he wasn’t alone was when he was in class or with his team. After that he was around Zetsu or Madara or members of the Akatsuki at different points in time, but, well he was defiantly still alone then. Now he isn’t sure. Is he alone? There’s a lot of people in and out but that doesn’t mean much.

It’s strange to be back in Konoha after all these years, after Kaguya. And let it be known that after all the work he’d put in getting jerked around by Madara and then her felt like some poorly thought out plot twist in a cheap novel. All that death and loneliness and torment and he didn’t even get to be the big villain of the piece. So now he’s back in Konoha where people largely ignore, because… He isn’t Kaguya? He helped some at the end? They feel sorry for him after his fall from the height of villainy? He’s useful? Most likely it’s the useful one.

The village is still rebuilding after, well, the several very destructive incidents, which Obito will not take _full_ credit for. He and his Kamui have been moving materials and anything else necessary around and aiding the effort, which has sped up the process not insignificantly. Kakashi old apartment was part of the village that was ruined. He and Obito were moved into the same apartment in one of the still standing buildings by the Godaime until the village is mostly rebuilt. At which point he supposes she’ll either give him permission to do whatever he feels like, or more likely, will insist he remain living with Kakashi under almost house arrest, because she’s never going to trust Mr. Crazy-Starts-a-War- and-Almost-Genjutsus-the-World. That would be fair enough.

He passes by the other citizens working constantly, and occasionally someone tries to talk to him, but it’s not really anymore true company than Zetsu was. Though they do have the point in their favor that it’s way less likely any of them will try to eat him. Naruto is a bit more genuine, but he rarely has the time for Obito, and then there’s Kakashi. He’s… trying? Mostly he seems to forget Obito whenever he’s not looking at him, because he always gets this look on his face like he can’t believe he’s alive and there every time he sees him which is kind of annoying. _No one_ seems to remember he still exists when not looking at him, and at this point Obito isn’t sure Obito still exists when no one else is looking at him. Maybe he died a long time ago and this is a weird ghost dream. Do ghosts have dreams?

Admittedly, Kakashi does at least speak to him regularly, but only because living together means he sees him regularly. He gives off the vibe of a man trying to avoid his own wife even though they live in the same house and he should really just give up and talk to her. Maybe, Obito is going to have to be the bigger man in this ~~marriage~~ cohabitation and confront him. If things keep going on his way he’s going to crazy… again. The main issue with this idea is that he has no idea what Kakashi’s issue is, so he’s going to have to go in like a man throwing darts blindfolding and hope one of his vague accusations manages to hit bullseye.

The door creaks open and Kakashi walks past him to the kitchen before his planning can get any farther. Well, he wasn’t going to plan anyway. Planning’s never gotten him anywhere but trouble before. Fuck it.

Obito heads after him, abandoning his well-worn spot on the couch. “Hey,” he starts, nice and awkwardly, “we need to talk.” Now he really does sound like a wife about to ask for a divorce or something. Kakashi just stops and stares at him blankly. He looks even more uncomfortable than Obito feels. He decides he might as well get it over with, no need to wait for the awkward silences to play out. “I know you’re trying to be subtle about it, but I have noticed that you are avoiding me,” he says.

“Have I been?” Kakashi asks, voice laced with faked shock. Obito’s worked with way better liars than he’ll ever be.

“Yes,” he answers, toeing the line between deadpan and aggressive. “Don’t play games with me. We will talk about this like functioning adults.”

“But neither of us is a functioning adult,” he complains.

“The most important step to becoming a functioning adult is to pretend to be one as dedicatedly as possible,” Obito insists. “At least I’m pretty sure it is?” he adds with much less conviction.

“Fine. Let’s sit at the table and pretend we’re, I don’t know? Shizune? She seems like an actual functioning adult,” Kakashi jokes.

“Step two is being serious about things,” Obito replies.

“I’m already doomed to fail then, it was a nice try. Talk to you later,” he says and attempts to slip past Obito. He grabs Kakashi by the wrist before he can get out of the kitchen.

“Sit.” They both sit. Obito reconsiders not planning what to say. Well things have worked okay so, far right? He just says the first thing that comes to mind, “Does seeing me all the time upset you? Should we ask the Godaime to put me with someone else?”

“No!” Kakashi shouts, then taking a breath slumps back into his normal nonchalant posture. “I want you here. I really do. Don’t go,” as he speaks his forced return to composure slowly lifts, and his earlier urgency returns.

“What do you want then?” Obito sighs. Living in solitude in a cave was way easier than this even if it was lonely.

“I want… I want you to stay-”

“You just said that,” he interrupts. He never did learn patience in spite of all those years of ‘biding his time’.

“No. I mean I want you to stay even after rebuilding. I want you to promise not to leave Konoha again, not to leave _me_.” Considering Obito knew how much time he spent lingering at graves and the memorial stone he should have guessed Kakashi had abandonment issues. God, _Obito_ has some abandonment issues himself.

“All this time were you afraid I would disappear again? Where else could I go? And honestly even if I could go somewhere else I don’t want to. I’m tired of being some sort of wandering cave hermit,” Obito jokes. “I want to stay with you. I promise,” he adds solemnly.

“Maa,” Kakashi replies, “I guess I’ll promise not to avoid you anymore then.” He still isn’t succeeding at being nonchalant. He sounds like he might cry. Obito almost wants him to, if only so he can be the crybaby for once. He doesn’t though. However, he does reach out for Obito’s hands. The stand for a while, fingers interlaced. Time inside of the apartment seems to stall, at least for a little while. Soon they’ll both have to rejoin the building effort and the world outside, but for now it’s just the two of them.


End file.
